Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-11-26
THE TIMBER LANDS
or Arizona and other Notes in Reference
 to tine Fora Of Our Territory.
,ConnileSi from the Census Maps of iss0 an' Notes of the Botanists with Lt- Wheelers
 Expeditions, by John A. Spring.

,Comnile,i from the Census Maps of iSsO and
 Sotes of the Botanistz with u. Wheeler's
 Expeditions by John A. Spring.
 It is certainly not the fault of the gov ernment if people at large appear to be and indeed are So mesgerly informed about the various resources Of ihe far Nes'. Not only the last census report, but detailed reports of sil the eXp=di- tious organized and dispatched by the government have been published end sent out broadcast over the land, Rnd If some people ID the east continue to mention Arizona as an arid, good for nothing plain. their only plea for msk- ing suoh a statement can be their ignor snoe. They know not of what they speak.
 The United States government has ascertsined by careful exploration in- trusted to scientific men that tho Tern tory of Anzons hss sn area of 4,373. .C65 acres of timber or woodland, that IS where the timber is dense enough to yield from each acre a sufficient gain in wood to justify the expense occurred in utilizing It.
 But besides these woodlands there are large stretches or belts, ravines and basins where no ipconsIdersble amount of timber grows, The most con- spicuous amonst these trees is the Prosopis Julitors, (mesquit) which especially in southern Arzona, forms dense thiokets in many places As a heat producer II IS unsurpassed and Dr. Soeu ranks 1t as fuel. with the hIck ory of the eastern state, the charcoal made from II, being of the best quality for metallurgicGl and smelling purposes. The gum exuding from this tree closely rose smbles gum arabic in appearance and ID its properties, and will some day be- come an important article in trade. The pods containing the bean-like seeds, while yet ID pulpy condition are valu- able forage, eagerly eaten by animals, and on which they actually thrive while 10 king hard marches. The bean con- tain thirty per cent of grspe-sngsr. and are ground into -four by the Indians. Besides this species there IS another hardly less useful, i. C., Prosopis pubes- oeps (Screw bean.) The wood Of both species is of great value in some of the arts.
 A species of Quercus alba (white oak is found 10 a belt in sutheastern Arizona extending from east to west from the line of New Mexico to about 1l2 deg, west Long, and from the Mexican boundary line northwsrd to the 32i deg. north Lst.
 or Abies and PiceR (Firs and Spruces) tRo species are found ID the DCrth- eastern corner of the Territory, while the Pinus ponderosa prevails n the eastern half of Arizona,
 One species of the Genus Fraxinus (the ssbes) IS quite common in the east ern third of the Territory while some what more than eastern half shows the eIistsnce of numerous trees of the Gen us Juglsns (the walnuts)
 Of the Genus Quercus nhe osks) the eastern third of ihe territory has wood belts containing several species, which reach in extreme southeast corner the number Of five. The same is the case with tue Genus Pinu. (the Pines), while Preudotsugs DouglsssiI (rsd or below fir) covers almost all the mountain ranges of the eastern half of ArZoBs.
 The Genus Cupressus is represented by 8 species of cedar which however does not attain any growth to speak Of snd is only fOuDd on & small area on the northwest border and again on the So nora border.
 Of smaller growth We find also the Juniperus Virginisns Virginia junipeI) mountain mahogany and several others.
 As to the density of the forests ID question, the highest degree. according to the Q. 8. map, is ia the northern par of tbe territory, showing ID ihe iInme diste vicinity of Prescott, a yield of from five to ten cords 10 the acre and reach ing thence in n nOrthess. direction th, respectable figure of fifty cords to the acre.